During the Ash Wednesday MassMons. José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, Archbishop of Panama, reminded the faithful of the true meaning of this liturgical sign, warning that “ash is not a magical rite”, nor a “special protection rite.”
He explained that covering with ash represents “a public recognition for which we declare ourselves fragile, incapable, sinners in search of God’s mercy.”
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“The imposition of ash leads us to remember our nothingness, namely us in need of divine mercy and salvation that Jesus Christ brought us,” said the archbishop.
In this regard, he stressed that the only moment in which a Christian should bow his head towards the ground is Ash Wednesday, since “the other days a Christian never looks at the ground because he always discovers his human dignity and his dignity as the Son of God. But today, today when we receive ash we incline because we recognize our fragility. ”
Lent is for conversion
The Archbishop stressed that the greatest fruit of Ash Wednesday and Lent is conversion, that is, “return to God, return to the Lord.”
In this sense, Mons. Ulloa Mendieta pointed out that Lent and Holy Week are special moments that can help anyone approach God. In particular, he invited Catholics to set realistic and simple goals in their spiritual life:
“If you don’t usually pray, it begins in this Lent with a father of ours, a Ave Mary and a glory. Do you already have that daily practice? Try to pray at least one dozen from the Rosary. Visit to Jesus in the Tabernacle. If you do not usually attend Mass on Sundays, propose as an objective to attend every Sunday during Lent. And if you are going on Sundays, why not attend one day during the week and commune? ”He encouraged the prelate.
“Fasting has not become fashion”
The archbishop also highlighted the role of fasting as an essential part of Lent and clarified that it is not just about refraining from food or drinks, “I think we can fast cigarettes (…) also fasting television, WhatsApp, even retweeting things that are lies,” he said.
“The fast has not gone out of fashion,” said Mons. Ulloa, and explained that, lived with simplicity of the heart, “leads us to discover again the gift of God and to understand our reality of creatures in the image and likeness with him.”
Finally, he encouraged the faithful to live this time of Lent with spiritual disposition, prayer and commitment to their faith.
Diego López Colín
I am a graduate of journalism at the Carlos Septién García school with experience of religious institutional communication. Since 2016 I write for digital media and, since 2018, I report the most important news about the Catholic event in Mexico for the Ewtn news channel. ACI Press correspondent in Mexico since 2023.